Clinton Fervor

2,000 Admirers Wait In Sweltering Heat For My Life Book Signing

Looking considerably thinner than when he was president, Bill Clinton proved himself as popular as ever on Thursday, when he signed his autobiography for 2,000 admirers in Coral Gables.

Clinton arrived 30 minutes late at Books & Books, the independent bookstore sponsoring the event. Before he started signing My Life, he briefly answered questions from print and television reporters on the newly released findings of the Sept. 11 commission, managing in almost the same breath to defend his administration and praise subsequent anti-terrorism efforts.

Then he turned to present a handshake and a smile to Jay Smith of Davie, who was first in line after sitting outside on the sidewalk since 9:30 Wednesday night.

After his 10-second encounter with the former president, Smith came away with tears in his eyes.

"The wait was worth it," Smith said to the media gaggle waiting impatiently for his reaction. "I'm choked up."

Margie Alter of Boca Raton was also near the front of the line. Like almost everyone at the event, she is a declared Clinton-lover.

"I wanted to meet President Clinton," Alter said, explaining why she arrived at the bookstore in the wee hours of Thursday morning. "He did a great job. The economy has never been better. I only wish Hillary was running as John Kerry's vice presidential candidate."

Clinton had a smile, a handshake, a word or two for each person whose book he signed. Most walked away visibly touched, although at least one admirer turned the tables.

The former president stepped out from behind the makeshift podium where he signed books standing up -- he's having back trouble -- to hug a 90-year-old supporter from Miami named Bessie Buchel.

"I told him he has the highest I.Q. of any president in history," Buchel said. "And George Bush has the lowest."

In order to get in line for Clinton's autograph you had to buy a book from Books & Books, but the number was capped at 2,000 by the Secret Service.

Bookstore employees said they could have easily sold 10,000, and possibly far more.

"People were crying on the phone yesterday when we told them they couldn't come," said store employee Dori Kay. Books & Books has sponsored event signings before -- Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, Anne Rice (on Halloween, no less) -- but nothing compares, store employees agreed, with the size and complexity of this one.

At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, two hours before Clinton was scheduled to begin signing books, the line snaked from the front of the store, down one street and up the next, for about six blocks.

Olga Morales took her place at the end of the line at that moment, although within five minutes 35 more people had queued behind her.

Morales said that she, like "95 percent" of Cuban-Americans, is registered as a Republican. She votes for the best candidate, she said, and the last Republican who got her ballot was Ronald Reagan.

Robin Haygood, a school principal, drove from Sarasota and spent the night on the sidewalk to score a spot only a dozen or so places from the front of the line.

"I love Bill Clinton," she said. "I went online, and this was the only place he was appearing in Florida."

Haygood said she and a companion slept on the sidewalk. Pounding at the construction site across the street woke them up. Watching the hardhats eased the tedium of the long, hot wait.

Lisa Folickman of Coconut Grove was one of several volunteers signing up new voters for Spreadthevote.org., but she said 98 percent of the crowd was already registered.

"I don't care who they vote for," Folickman said, "so long as they vote. This is obviously a politically involved crowd, or they wouldn't be here."

One person who won't be voting this November, however, is Mary Ann Fox of Deerfield Beach, who nonetheless arrived at the store at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to wait all night and most of the next day to get her book signed.

"The last election proved my vote doesn't count," said Fox, still embittered over the controversial 2000 vote count in Florida, which gave the White House to George Bush over Al Gore. "Baby Brother will get Bush the election this time just like the last time," she said, referring to Jeb Bush, Florida's governor.

A Democrat, Fox said Clinton "was not such a bad president, a little embarrassing. But the country prospered under him. This is my chance to be near a president, which I've wished for all my life."

Many of the Clinton lovers in attendance admitted not having read My Life, or at least not more than a few chapters.

"Who needs to know who was ambassador to Kuwait in 1993?" Smith said. "I'm an independent, but he was my commander-in-chief during my military service, and I'd like to tell him he did a super job."

Besides, Smith said, now that he's retired, his commander-in-chief is his wife, Jacqueline, and she ordered him to secure the first place in line.

Store employees praised the patience and manners of the people sweltering in the midday sun, while those in the heat appreciated the planning that made the event go smoothly.

The bookstore provided free water; sandwiches from its coffee shop were sold on the sidewalk.

Clinton stopped signing at 7:20, having signed all 2,000 pre-sold books, according to store employees. A couple of hundred people who showed up without pre-sold books were disappointed when Clinton left for a Democratic fund-raiser.

Staff Writer Tania Valdemoro contributed to this report.

Chauncey Mabe can be reached at cmabe@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4710 .